Dunn, Drummond remain best of friends

After finishing a conversation about Andre Drummond, Kris Dunn was asked if he had a message for his best friend.

Their busy basketball schedules - Dunn starring for New London High School and Drummond at UConn - prevent the two former AAU teammates from communicating much outside of texting and through social media.

Dunn did want a message delivered.

"Call him Little Bambi," Dunn said. "Like the deer."

Little Bambi?

You'd never think that nickname would apply to the 6-foot-10, 270-pound Drummond.

So Andre, what's this about Little Bambi?

Before answering, Drummond busted out a hearty laugh.

"We're the biggest clowns that you'll ever meet," Drummond said. "We joke around all the time. We mess around and call each other cartoon characters."

During their AAU days playing for the Connecticut Basketball Club, the dynamic duo went by the nickname of Batman and Robin.

Now they're off playing superheroes in different basketball worlds.

Dunn, a 6-3 senior guard, recently set the New London career scoring record.

Drummond, who unveils more layers of his talent with each passing week, is a strong contender for the Big East rookie-of-the-year honor and has NBA lottery pick potential.

Still as goofy and fun-loving as ever, they share much in common, including a humble side.

"We're best friends," Dunn said. "We have the same personality. We always love to play around and have fun. But when we're on the court, we're all about business. We're focusing on getting better … We both have passion for the game."

They first met over three years ago when one day they both happened to work out at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain.

Dunn marveled at Drummond's athleticism and size. He wanted to know if Drummond could touch the backboard from a standing position. Drummond did easily.

They made a connection that day. Drummond asked Dunn to join his AAU team.

"We just clicked immediately," Drummond said. "Ever since then, we grew up together. It's like we're brothers."

They've worked out and hung together, with Dunn occasionally sleeping over at Drummond's house in Middletown. They pulled pranks on unsuspecting AAU teammates. They invented bird calls to communicate with each other on the court.

They closely followed each other's high school careers. A year ahead of Dunn, Drummond spent two seasons at St. Thomas More before heading to UConn.

It appeared that they would reunite again on the court, both deciding to attend prep school at Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Massachusetts.

But they changed course.

Drummond shocked the college basketball world by announcing in late August that he would attend UConn. Dunn chose to return to New London for his senior season and committed to Providence College.

"We both just sat down with our families to see what's best for us," said Dunn, who will play at Alumni Hall on the PC campus today when the Whalers play Mount Pleasant (R.I.) at 2 p.m. "Sometimes you have to do that to make sure that you're successful in life and not worry about your friends. It just happens that we're both successful basketball players and went to the college that we thought was best for us."

The future is blindingly bright for both.

NBA mock drafts already are projecting Drummond to be a high lottery pick. Dunn's popularity is growing among a Friar Fan base starved for a star to help their sagging program.

They're excited about what lies ahead.

"He knows what I can do and I know what he can do," Dunn said, "so we're not surprised with each other. We just want to push each other to greatness. We hope that one another is successful."

If Drummond returns next season, the two close friends will play against each other for the first time. Drummond already is looking forward to the UConn-Providence game next year.

"Obviously, we're going to beat them next year," said Drummond with a laugh.

When UConn visits Providence on Feb. 28, Dunn will have mixed feelings. He'll be rooting for Providence to win and for Drummond to play well.

After all, it's hard to root against Little Bambi.

g.keefe@theday.com